Ordinarily speaking, if a girl asked you to massage her feet and even let you see beneath her skirt, then she probably liked you.
Unfortunately, this was Chihaya Airi. She did all of this for one purpose alone—teasing him.
She would wait until Kiyoharu revealed a weakness, seize it ruthlessly, and subject him to even more punishment!
Kiyoharu, who had long understood her true nature, would not fall for it.
Having lived two lives, he possessed a far more steadfast temperament than others his age.
Someone less resolute would surely start wondering, Young Lady Airi actually took the initiative to let me touch her feet. Could she possibly like me?
No, absolutely impossible!
When fishing, bait cost something too. Airi would definitely endure her instinctive revulsion toward men and use an apparently harmless, defenseless natural allure to lure Kiyoharu in.
This behavior might not even be driven by practical gain. She was fully capable of doing it just for fun.
After considering it for a moment, Kiyoharu picked up Airi's delicate foot and began gently kneading it.
Since the Young Lady was willing to invest so heavily in fishing, he would not hold back.
In his previous life, he had mastered full-body massage techniques to pick up girls... proper massage techniques!
Perhaps not among the very best, but he was undoubtedly ahead of most professionals.
After only a few movements, Airi, who had been sure of victory, changed expression and snapped, "Y-you, what are you doing?!"
"Oh, it seems the Young Lady's muscles and joints are rather delicate. I'll use less force."
As he spoke, Kiyoharu eased the pressure in his hands. Only then did Airi secretly let out a suppressed breath. Those first two presses had hurt so much that she had nearly cried out, almost losing her composure before Kiyoharu.
Damn it, this mere Kiyoharu.
She had intended to scold him, but once the massage pressure adjusted to just the right level, a wonderful comfort slowly spread from her legs throughout her body.
Chihaya Airi found this rather surprising. In the end, "massaging her feet" had merely been an excuse, intended to force Kiyoharu into a position where he could easily be captivated by her charm.
She had not expected Kiyoharu to actually be so good at it.
It was even more comfortable than the therapist employed by the Chihaya Family.
"You're pretty good at this. Have you massaged other girls' feet before?"
"Of course not. I told you, I'm a genius." Kiyoharu lifted Airi's round, adorable heel and shifted his position. "Next, I'll massage the sole. It might tickle a little."
"Mmm..."
With her eyes closed, Airi let out a long, relaxed hum through her nose.
Her feet were maintained exceptionally well, without the slightest odor, carrying a faint girlish fragrance. Her scent was like the noble petals of a flower blooming with flamboyant intensity. Their bright, healthy color looked as smooth as milk, and even through his gloves, he could feel their extraordinary softness and smoothness.
Following those proud long legs inward, he could see faint glimpses of black lace.
Under the soft, warm orange light, the girl breathed slowly as Kiyoharu kneaded her feet. Her slip nightgown barely covered the rounded curves, and those full, perky mounds rose and fell with her breathing.
Even Kiyoharu, who had lived with Airi for three years, could not help his heart racing at this sight.
It was like a starving wild wolf that had long converted to Buddhism, seeing incomparably tempting prey swaying before it on a dangerous plain.
The wicked thoughts sealed in his heart for many years struggled to break through the earth like stubborn earthworms.
He wanted to know this perfect Young Lady more deeply, to chase the butterfly-like glimmer strolling along the pale curve, and then reach the most exciting part—the part Kiyoharu had once known so well but had forgotten for many years.
Gulp!
Kiyoharu had to admit that while the Young Lady's fishing hook was painfully obvious, the bait was way too damn tempting.
To calm his unruly little brother, Kiyoharu began recalling what he had studied in college.
Jurisprudence, constitutional law, civil law, civil procedure law, criminal law, criminal procedure law, administrative law and administrative procedure law, economic law, commercial law...
A moment later, that restless sensation miraculously faded away.
Sure enough, knowledge was the best cosmic desire suppressor.
He silently recited legal provisions while applying his foot-massage skills.
After an unknown amount of time had passed, Kiyoharu suddenly discovered that Airi had fallen asleep.
"Young Lady? Young Lady?" He tried calling softly twice, but received no response.
The cautious Kiyoharu assumed Airi was pretending to sleep and did not do anything improper. He fetched a blanket and covered her with it, then slipped off to the study to read.
To avoid waking her, he thoughtfully dimmed the lights and closed the study door.
The spacious living room of the mansion returned to silence. Airi opened her eyes and stared blankly at the tightly shut study door.
She really had fallen asleep. She had only just awakened.
It seemed Kiyoharu had not done anything bad while she was groggy.
However, that was not what Airi cared about now.
A more critical fact left the Young Lady in a state of panic.
I actually...
Fell asleep while a man was massaging my feet?
"Never place complete trust in anyone. Never lower your guard at any time."
Her father had taught her to remember this creed from a very young age.
As the person destined to bear the burden of the Chihaya Family in the future, only by doing so could she be considered a qualified leader and protect this inheritance.
Therefore, accidentally falling asleep made Airi feel especially ashamed and angry.
Could it be that her vigilance toward Kiyoharu had fallen to such an extent?
Chihaya Airi stepped onto the balcony, letting the cold night wind blow over her as she reflected on herself.
As for what position Kiyoharu occupied in her heart, he was undoubtedly an "object."
A useful object, one that had solved her marriage problem once and for all, sparing her from having to deal with her parents' endless pressure to marry.
Of course, this object had possessed special attributes from the very beginning.
It had to start with the day Kiyoharu pulled her back on the stands at Chihaya Academy.
After Chihaya Airi came to her senses, she realized Kiyoharu had grabbed her hand and had even reached out to support her waist to keep her balanced. Her slender waist was a sensitive area; if another man touched it, the surging malice within her would make her want to cut him into a thousand pieces.
Yet Kiyoharu had touched her, and she did not... hate it.
She thought it might have been a special psychological effect caused by the emergency, so she found an opportunity to test it and touch Kiyoharu again.
For example, she pretended to be annoyed that he was blocking her path, pushed him aside, and touched his firm arm.
There was not even a trace of that familiar revulsion.
It was truly strange. Tokyo was a major city with a huge population, and Chihaya Airi, who had grown up there, had seen countless men. Even seeing them at a normal social distance disgusted her, yet only Kiyoharu did not trigger her abnormal reaction.
Of course... she merely did not dislike him!
That was also one of the foundations of the marriage plan. With Kiyoharu in the house, Airi did not find him irritating. Once she grew accustomed to it, she did not even feel the slightest discomfort.
Airi had never told Kiyoharu about her special perception of him. Instead, she displayed the same disgust toward him as she did toward other men. She could not let Kiyoharu know that he was special, or would his tail not rise straight into the sky?
Though Kiyoharu usually acted as though he had no quarrel with the world, after spending enough time with him, one could tell that he was extremely narcissistic deep down. In some ways, he and Airi were alike, though his temper was much, much better than hers.
Today's incident must never happen again! Airi warned herself inwardly.
From now on, she absolutely could not be so relaxed around Kiyoharu.
Before returning to her room, Airi went to the study. With an icy expression, she looked down at Kiyoharu, who was reading.
"May I ask what you need?"
"Work has been rather stressful lately. It has truly been mentally exhausting and made me tired, so I accidentally took a nap just now." Airi spoke stiff words with a stiff face.
"Understood."
"Can you talk like a normal person? Stop speaking as if you're reporting work at the company all the time?!"
"Ah..." Kiyoharu looked at Airi, who was suddenly furious for no apparent reason, somewhat puzzled. "Should I phrase it differently? What does the Young Lady like to hear? I can change."
"Forget it! Do whatever you want!"
Airi stormed off.
Heh, how inexplicable. Maybe she was on her period.
Kiyoharu shook his head helplessly, unconcerned, and continued reading the mystery novel in his hands.
It was best not to dwell too much on the Young Lady's unpredictable temper. Enjoying life was the proper way.
Before you continue